Can't get enough of the Stark County sheriff soap opera? Now that there's a lull in that action, do you need another political circus to feed your addiction to drama? One might be brewing with Canton City Council.

Two men want the job of council majority leader. When Council voted Thursday, Frank Morris, D-9, beat Thomas West, D-2, by one vote.

We know, this is inside-baseball stuff at its best — or worst — but stay with us.

New Councilman at-large Richard Hart, an independent, abstained from voting, and council has two conflicting rules on the books about how to count an abstention.

Law Director Joseph Martuccio favors one rule, and Council President Allen Schulman, also an attorney, favors the other. Under one rule, Morris wins. Under the other, he doesn't.

Martuccio will issue a formal ruling, but apparently it's not binding on council. West is keeping hope alive for his candidacy, saying he'll wait for Martuccio's ruling but might then go to court.

Really, a lawsuit?

The council majority leader has the power to name committee members, and the person who holds the job gets a bump up in pay. But the vast majority of Canton residents probably don't know or care who the council majority leader is. They want good streets, efficient snow removal and police in their neighborhoods. We're sure they'd be thrilled to see their tax money wasted on a lawsuit.

A lawsuit also could mean that action on ordinances will bog down. Because of the dispute, Martuccio wants to see all proposed ordinances signed by seven council members rather than just committee members. In a council as divided as this one may prove to be, every ordinance could become a power struggle.

This is a problem that council created by approving contradictory rules. Council, not the courts, should solve it. Canton residents don't need political circuses — they need a council that's focused on real problems that affect their everyday lives.